The Buzz:Throughout much of the fall, the clear and away favorite for the Oscar for Best Picture was The Social Network, but with the release of The King’s Speech, directed by Tim Hooper and written by David Seidler and with stellar performances by Colin Firth as George VI and by Geoffrey Rush as his speech therapist, the tides have shifted away from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and toward London, England. Though The Social Network won the Golden Globe for Best Picture, Firth scooped up the Best Actor Award, and The King’s Speech swept the BAFTA’s, with not only Firth winning, but the movie won best film, while Rush and fellow co-star Helena Bonham Carter also scooped up wins (as did Seidler for screenplay). As we move toward Oscar Sunday, the betting parlors rate The King’s Speech as an even money favorite to win and make it a two-horse race with The Social Network, whose odds are at 5:1 according to most punters.

The Story:The King’s Speech charts the unlikely rise of Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George (Colin Firth) from “the spare”–the second son of King George V–to monarch at a grave period in world history. George V dies in January 1936, and he is succeeded by his first born son, who takes the throne as Edward VIII. But, Edward VIII is in love with Wallis Warfield Simpson, an American divorcée. As head of the Anglican Church, Edward would not be permitted to marry Simpson, but he instead chooses “the woman I love,” abdicating the throne in December and leaving his brother to become king as George VI. All the meanwhile, George has been suffering from an acute case of stuttering, an affliction that threatens the monarchy and the country if he is unable to be the voice of the United Kingdom. He enters into an unlikely relationship, brokered by George’s wife Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) with Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), a failed actor-turned-speech therapist with unconventional methods. George eventually overcomes his speech impediment, and in the climax of the movie gives a halting but successful radio speech to the nation following the outbreak of World War II.

How accurate is the film? Christopher Hitchens notes in Slate, the film, while uplifting and well-made, “perpetrates a gross falsification of history.” Seidler, of course, says that they took liberties with the film–artistic license, if you will. Meanwhile, The Economistcalled the film “preposterous” but “oddly shrewd.” As Bagehot’s column in The Economist says:

DEEP in Britain’s collective unconscious, it is said, a special place is reserved for dreams about the queen dropping round for tea—a fantasy that taps into modern snobberies but also ancient tales of monarchs passing incognito among their subjects, and commoners with secret royal friends. Small wonder, perhaps, that “The King’s Speech”, a film about King George VI, has sparked swooning adulation since opening at British cinemas this month. Towards the end, it hits all three fantasies at once: a humble speech therapist is forced to reveal that the king is his patient and friend, after his wife finds Queen Elizabeth at their dining table in a hat, pouring tea.

Below, have a look at Britannica’s coverage of some of the issues touched on in The King’s Speech: